The European Parliament’s hearings for future European commissioners resume in Strasbourg this evening, with the chances of MEPs rejecting the proposed line-up becoming ever more improbable.

Rumiana Jeleva, the Bulgarian foreign minister who has been designated for the post of commissioner for international co-operation, humanitarian aid and crisis management, still looks the most vulnerable of all the nominees, but the leadership of the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) is standing by her.

The Greens, Socialists and Liberals had attacked Jeleva on two grounds, that her declaration of financial interests was not in order and that her performance at the hearing was poor. The EPP at the end of last week attempted to lay to rest the financial interest issue, with José Manuel Barroso, the Commission president, in response to a letter from Jerzy Buzek, the Parliament president, asserting that the financial declaration was in order. Joseph Daul, leader of the EPP MEPs, then proclaimed “the total absence of any defect in respect of the Bulgarian commissioner-designate”.

The competence issue might be a problem if other commissioners-designate were as bad, but with no nominees from other political parties looking so vulnerable, a trade-off that brings down two or three nominees looks unlikely.

Roma support

Last week, Jozsef Szajer, a Hungarian MEP who is the EPP co-ordinator for the hearings, warned that Slovak nominee Maroš Šefčovič was “unacceptable”, alleging that Šefčovič, a Socialist, had described Roma as “exploiters of the Slovak welfare system”.

Šefčovič appears before the Parliament’s constitutional affairs and budgetary control committees this evening, but already Roma organisations in Slovakia have come to his defence, with statements to the Slovak media on Thursday and then to the foreign media on Friday, that Šefčovič, previously Slovakia’s permanent representative to the EU, “has always been open, pro-active and ready to support and address all respective projects on the Roma issue”. The statement also credited Šefčovič’s “positive approach and personal engagement” for helping to secure €200 million in EU funding to improve the position of Roma in Slovakia.

The organisation that is cited as the sole source of the EPP’s accusation, the European Roma Information Office, has distanced itself from the accusation. Ivan Ivanov, its director, on Friday expressed “concern” about the controversy and said the Office recognised Šefčovič’s “personal engagement” in Roma issues.

The principal independent supporter of Roma projects in central and eastern Europe, the Open Society Institute, has expressed support for Šefčovič.

The allegation levelled against Šefčovič is based on a partial, five-word quote reported in 2005 from an event for which no transcript has been found. The Hungarian MEPs have denied a political or nationalist motive for the attack, though József Szájer, an EPP vice-chairman who first made the accusation, is on record as describing Šefčovič’s appointment as one of the Commission’s vice-presidents as one element in “an absolute defeat for Hungary” in the formation of Barroso’s second college of commissioners.

Known quantity

Antonio Tajani’s hearing before the industry, research and energy committee is expected to pass off more quietly, particularly since Tajani, who is of the centre-right, is a returning commissioner and an ex-MEP, so a known quantity.

The hearings conclude on Tuesday morning with appearances from Cecilia Malmström, a Swedish Liberal, and Maria Damanaki, a Greek Socialist. If either candidate turns in a poor performance, Jeleva’s survival might yet be endangered.